Tom Sestito Suspended Four Games

PITTSBURGH, PA - OCTOBER 20: Tom Sestito #25 of the Pittsburgh Penguins handles the puck in front of Joel Ward #42 of the San Jose Sharks in the third period during the game at PPG PAINTS Arena on October 20, 2016 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)

Pittsburgh Penguins Tom Sestito was suspended for four games after boarding Winnipeg Jets Toby Enstrom on Wednesday night. The hit came with just under seven minutes left in the first period, and Sestito received a game misconduct on the play. Earlier that period he also got into a fight with Chris Thorburn, giving him a total of 20 penalty minutes in only a minute of ice time.

Tom Sestito Suspended Four Games

The game against the Jets was Sestito’s first since November, and only his ninth on the season. He only has one point in those games, a single assist coming on November 2nd against the Anaheim Ducks. He cleared waivers on November 18th, and was sent down on December 3rd.

During his stretch in the AHL, Sestito played in 33 games. In those he has just 16 points, including six goals. He also has a total of 121 penalty minutes, putting him third in the AHL. Of course, this isn’t very surprising from the enforcer that is Tom Sestito.

Given Sestito’s history, which includes one previous suspension in the NHL, the Penguins were under fire as a number of analysts believed he was only called up to help be a physical presence during their game against the Jets. Sestito was even asked if he thought he was only called up to provide toughness during the Jets game, to which he replied, “I thought maybe it was or goal-scoring.”

Tom Sestito, on if he was called up for physicality vs. WPG tonight: “I thought maybe it was for goal-scoring that they wanted me up here.”

Gabriel Foley is the St. Louis Blues team manager, and covers the NHL in it's entirety. He's also a 17-year old hockey player in Illinois. Want to get on-the-fly NHL updates and opinions? Follow Gabe on Twitter @GabrielMgFoley!